Making Amends

byMelisa WellsonSeptember 27, 2009

Tonight (at sundown), a major Jewish holiday begins. Here’s last year’s post on it, in case you want to gain a little more knowledge about it. Yom Kippur is the “Day of Atonement”, on which Jews all over the world atone for any wrongdoings that they have caused over the past year. We fast for the 25 hour period*, and our family spends a nice chunk of the day in services at the synagogue. The nice thing about being hungry at the temple is that everyone else is hungry too; it’s like a mass stomach-growling festival! The reason that we fast is to help us be introspective, to think about God, and to contemplate how to become better people.

At this time of year it is also customary for us Jews to apologize and make amends to those we have hurt**. On that note, I would like to apologize to anyone out there who I may have hurt through my writing on this blog or personally if I know you in real life. If I have hurt you in any way, please gently let me know so that I can make amends.

One last thing: I’d like to wish all of you out there who celebrate Yom Kippur an easy fast, and Gemar Chatimah Tovah, may your final sealing in the Book of LIfe be good.

* okay, well, to be completely honest, my family will be fasting for “only” about 22 hours, because our temple group that we celebrate holidays with is coming here to “break the fast” in mid-afternoon.

**which, when you think about it, isn’t such a bad idea for people of any religion, don’t you think?

I'm sorry I missed this post the first time around. I like the ideals behind The Day of Atonement. I think this is something everyone should think about it because we all hurt people, unintentionally or not. I hope the fasting went, well, fast